Privacy-focused cryptocurrencies have experienced a severe market downturn, with Monero (XMR) leading the plunge with a nearly 28% weekly drop. The sell-off reflects a broader risk-off sentiment and heightened regulatory sensitivity affecting assets tied to anonymity and private transactions.
Market data from the past week shows broad, double-digit losses across the sector. While Bitcoin and several large-cap altcoins showed comparatively milder declines, privacy coins faced sustained selling pressure. Volume data indicates consistent distribution activity rather than panic-driven spikes, suggesting a calculated exit from the sector.
Monero (XMR) was the worst performer, dropping close to 28% over seven days to trade near $508. Its market capitalization stood near $9.35 billion, with daily trading volume around $143 million. Dash (DASH) fell between 17% and 21%, trading near $64. Decred (DCR) declined roughly 21% to around $20. Zcash (ZEC) showed a slightly softer drop of about 13%, trading near $365. Other tokens like Horizen and Zano also posted significant weekly losses of 18% and 11%, respectively.
Despite the price collapse, developer activity in the privacy sector remains vibrant. A separate report from analytics firm Santiment, based on 30 days of GitHub data, revealed the top privacy projects by developer interest. Dash (DASH) led with a score of 48.47, followed by NYM (26.70) and HOPR (18.97). Notably, Monero (XMR), despite having the largest market cap, ranked fourth with a score of 5.73, and Zcash (ZEC) ranked seventh with 3.83. This indicates continued long-term development focus even amid a severe market correction.
The synchronized decline across multiple privacy projects points to sector-wide stress rather than token-specific triggers. Traders are reducing exposure to assets perceived as having higher regulatory risk and lower liquidity during periods of market uncertainty.
